AGBAJE’S 8 DAYS MISSIONARY JOURNEY
By
FELIX OBOAGWINA
Every time the Lagos Governorship Candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje, was introduced as the “Next Governor of Lagos State” at his recently concluded town hall meetings, it provoked reactions in the positive.
“Amen!” the crowded hall roared.
“JK is Ok!” would burst out from some other sections of the gathering.
For eight days, January 16 to 24, Agbaje embarked on a missionary journey, taking his gospel of Bold Ideas, New Opportunities to different halls in Lagos State’s 20 headquarter councils. He preached to capacity-filled and overflowing halls his three-pronged programme wrapped around, Health, Security and Education. The journey began on the beaches of Ibeju-Lekki and eventually terminated at Glover Hall on the Marina. But Agbaje’s convoy of buses, cars and SUVs touched Ibeju-Lekki, Ikeja, Surulere, Badagry, Mushin, Lagos Mainland, Ikorodu, Ajeromi, Apapa, Ojo, Amuwo, Oshodi/Isolo, Epe, Ifako-Ijaiye, Kosofe, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Alimoso, Agege and Lagos Island.
Rationalising his resort to the highly interactive Town Hall Meetings, Agbaje explained: “We in politics and government do not know it all. We want to hear the truth from those who have the audacity to speak the truth to power. At rallies, you would not be able to have the presence of Imams, Pastors, etc. This comes from the fact that these community leaders, who remain key stakeholders in Lagos, have one belief about rallies. They believe that rallies belong to politicians and party loyalists, so they themselves stay away. But we need to rub minds with you. We have to convince you on why you should vote PDP. At rallies, there is a lot of dancing and singing. If you want to seize power, you need more than that. We have to be able to convince you that we will do better than those we desire to take over power from. Then we also want to hear from you. Sometimes, we think we know the problems of the local communities and the solutions, but we could be wrong. Your priorities may just be different from our line of thinking.”
And then, the PDP Candidate would examine on the misrule and misgovernment he felt had been perpetrated by the ruling party in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We have not said those we want to take over from have not recorded any achievements at all; that would not be fair. But the question is: Have Lagosians had value for their money?” he said. “These people have been there for 16 years and have collected over 4 trillion in revenue.”
This revelation usually provoked some gasp of surprise from the audience. And these audiences –these were capacity crowds, whose number would easily draw the envy of cinema box offices. Everywhere from Epe to Surulere and even upscale Eti-Osa, people lavishly overflowed into the surrounding compound (and streets sometimes), seizing the opportunity of their inter-activeness to speak their minds to power.
The non-indigene question ricocheted and reverberated through the walls of every town hall meeting that convened. It did not help matters that the previous year had seen the incredible spectacle of the incumbent Governor Babatunde Fashola ordering the “deportation” from Lagos of people considered diseased and indigent, an action clearly in violation of the constitutional and human rights provisions for Freedom of Movement and Residence. And Jimi Agbaje made political capital of it.
“We shall not deport non-indigenes,” he said. And everywhere he mentioned this, he got a standing ovation and, from the tribe the worst hit in this discrimination, chants of: “Igbo kwenu!”
“Lagos bubbles because of the mixture of indigenes and non-indigenes. That is the truth about London and New York. If we send away the non-indigene, who will buy the land that the indigene has to offer? Who will buy the goods being traded by the indigene?
“This APC government says that too many people are coming into Lagos. Instead they should prepare for the migration. Development must come to Agege like Victoria Island. Government should develop Alimosho like Victoria Island. Government should develop Ikorodu like Victoria Island. Government should develop Okokomaiko like Victoria Island.
“The solution is to develop all parts of Lagos evenly so that everything you are looking for is found in the other parts also. If we remove Arewa from Agege, will Agege be the same? If we remove Igbo people from Alaba and Ojo, will Alaba and Ojo be the same. So my dear non-indigenes, you have nothing to fear, we are with you all the way.”
BADAGRY AND MARGINALISATION
But it was not non-indigenes, alone who needed their fears assuaged. The indigenous Egun people of Badagry complained of state-spun marginalisation. According to their spokespersons at the town hall meeting on Saturday 27th January, the division fell out of favour with the powers-that-be for voting against the party in power. At a point in time, their Member of the House of Representatives won on the platform of PDP, until he defected (some believe he was blackmailed and intimidated to cross-carpet) to the ruling APC.
“Despite being an integral part of the state, we have no representation in this government. We have no Commissioner, we have no Permanent Secretary. Government projects have been withheld from us. Badagry people are grossly marginalised,” the Egun man said. “When you become Governor of Lagos State, what will PDP do for Badagry people?”
Agbaje had good news for them, telling them, he had by himself appointed their sister and daughter, Alhaja Safurat Olayinka Abdulkarim, as his Running Mate. Apart from her personal qualities, she had been appointed in deference to the desire to put the Egun people and the Badagry Division people on equal footing with other interests in the state. As Deputy Governor, he said, Safurat would not be a “spare tyre” in the Cabinet. He intended that she and he would jointly run the affairs of the state. Therefore, her kinsmen should consider their interests taken care of.
In Badagry, as in other places, he told the womenfolk to hold Safu responsible for their needs. She would be an active part of his government, and the trained teacher and accountant should be trusted to defend the interests of her constituencies.
Interestingly, Badagry Introduced a new dimension to Agbaje’s political sloganeering. Supporters in Badagry came up with the responsorial chanting, that JK himself subsequently adopted in other town hall meetings:
To the usual chant: “JK is okay!”
The response came: “Safu is alright!”
But more than chanting slogans, Agbaje seized the opportunity of those eight days on the road to sell his sterling programmes,
FRESH IDEAS ON EDUCATION
He challenged his audience: “Is Lagos doing well in education? Many of you will tell me that you have had to withdraw your children to private schools instead of public schools, and I do not blame you. The APC government has messed up the education sector. They have employed inadequate teachers for their schools, and yet those ones have their welfare short-changed, which explains the incessant strikes. Teachers are not taken seriously. This government has no welfare package for them. There are inadequate teachers, and even the few they employed are not reckoned with. In fact, some classes sit up to 70 or 100 students (when the United Nations stipulates 25 students to a class); how can children learn in such an environment?
“In recent years, for example, the results of school certificate examinations have found majority of our children failing. In a situation like that, government must bear the blame. If its educational policies and programmes had been good, the rate of failure would have been low.
“Our coming here is to let you know that we can deliver education differently and better.
“The first question to ask is: Why are our children flunking the final exams? The APC government has been paying very little attention to primary school. They have paid about 3 percent of the education budget to primary education. If you look at the innovations and inventions that have rocked the world, several came through so-called university dropouts. Talk of Facebook, talk of Virgin Airlines, etc. These individuals could go on and excel because they were already moulded by the primary school. If the primary school foundation is good, then the secondary and tertiary become easy.
The way to go is to increase the number and welfare of teachers. We will emphasise in-house training for teachers.”
In Ojo, the students of the Lagos State University asked an incoming PDP government to revisit their case. He assured them he would. Their school fees had been jacked up to N350,000 from N25,000 suddenly. But protests saw the government reverting to near status quo. Agbaje and Safurat warned that parents and students should not fall for the deceit behind the apparent tokenism.
“We will not increase LASU tuition fees!” he promised. But he warned: “We shall give scholarships, but we shall not be a blanket awarding of scholarships and bursaries. Scholarships will be awarded strictly on merit. You cannot fail your papers and still expect to enjoy government scholarships. You know I will not promise what I will not do.”
UPGRADING ARTISANS FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
Agbaje told his audience that the amount of money Lagos State currently allocated to vocational and technical training was a paltry 1.5 percent of the budget. Yet overseas, artisans like barbers, electricians and welders made substantial money. Time had come to revolutionise that sector.
“We want our artisans equipped for global best practice and competitiveness. Companies in Nigeria are importing artisans to solve problems that ordinarily our artisans should be able to handle. The mechanic, for example, will be assisted to acquire training and skills in the application of modern technology, especially in view of the progress of auto technology from analog and purely mechanical to digital and electronic technology, especially with the emergence of computerised cars. We shall go into creation of mechanic villages. Such plans are in place for that sector. When his situation is enhanced, the local artisan turns into a role model and ultimately an employer of labour.
HOUSING FOR THE POOR
The PDP Governorship Candidate demolished the APC Government’s housing policy. “This APC government says there is no low-income cement and iron rod, therefore there can be no low-income houses. These people in government, when they see land, their eye go dey do cha, cha, cha (and the people laughed at this recourse to pidgin, which he spoke lavishly in addition to Yoruba and English). Once in this state was a Governor who built houses for the poor; who was that Governor?”
“Lateef Jakande?” the crowd would usually respond, with some degree of nostalgia.
He then vowed: “We shall build houses for the poor! We will reduce the price of land. Right now, APC administrators are using government funds to build houses for the rich. In Lagos, a study was done nationwide on building approvals by states, and of the 36 states, Lagos State scored 36th. No be Jimi Agbaje do the research o, na World Bank! This means that by the time you borrow money from the bank to build a house, the bank interests would have wiped out your money, the time the approval comes out.”
A HEALTH PLAN BUILT ON INSURANCE
The PDP Candidate promised free health for the old, for children, pregnant women and those suffering life-threatening ailments like hypertension. Wherever he went, he wanted to know if the Free Health proclaimed by the government-of-the-day was free-of-charge as presented. From local government to local government, citizens replied in the negative. From different angles of the hall came mocking interjections:
“You pay for card!”
“You pay for medicine!”
“You pay for bed and admission!”
And he would tell them of a model future for healthcare. And without exception, his audiences applauded the dream initiative, modelled after those operating in civilised nations. According to him, the government would pick up the bill for citizens by paying the premium, in an insurance-based health scheme.
“You will choose your doctor and the hospital you want. Government will be paying the doctor, whether you are sick or not. But if you are not happy with your doctor, you will be free to change your doctor. Therefore, the doctor knows that he has to treat you well or he will not collect money from the government.”
THE BURDEN OF WATER
“As I am experiencing, I am sure you do not have water in your tap. If you do not have water in your tap, please indicate let us see.”
And everywhere, virtually everybody had his hand up,
“For 16 years, they said they have given us water, yet they want continuity. But my own government will provide potable water for you in your homes.”
The irony actually dwelt in Iju, the home of the famous and legendary Iju Water Works. Even in Iju, people still indicated they suffered water shortage. Water was not piped to their homes.
And so for eight days, traversing thousands of kilometres on the road, Agbaje demonstrated to the people that he identified with them and their needs, and if they believed in him enough to vote for him that Saturday on February 28, he could be the Messiah they were waiting for.
SILVER LINING FOR TRANSPORTATION BLUES
The PDP Candidate took the APC to the cleaners for failures in the transport system (“The much-vaunted BRT buses were now like the Molue they once condemned and banned. The good ones are the one bearing the posters of Ambode”).
Reminding the youth that they formed the bulk of the population, Agbaje, an employer and entrepreneur promised to provide them with the means to notch experience and jobs.
He said: “We will reserve 5 percent of our procurement budget specifically for young school leavers and graduates, and you the youth will benefit from contracts awarded by the government. This will also give you the job experience that employers demand. Since others will benefit from the scheme, beneficiaries will vacate after three years.”
Moreover, he said: “We will emphasise local content. Anyone taking contract must employ youths from the locality.”
He felt the pains of other interest groups too, caught in the grind of the developmental programmes of the current regime. These include, the market women, whom he told: “Jakande built markets for the commoners and the traders. Those in government now, when they see your thriving market, what they see are shopping complexes. As for us in PDP, we shall do nothing to displace or inconvenience you. We shall not take your markets.”
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Jimi Agbaje promised an even-handed dealing with traditional and community leaders, saying: “Many Baales (titled community leaders) have beads but this government refused to issue them titular certificates, just so as to blackmail them and beat them into line.”
He recognised that the same sword hung over the heads of religious houses, which faced demolition if they were reported as preaching against the government and its programmes.
He promised: “We shall release certificates to Baales, churches and mosques.”
As part of his innovative ideas, he said he would unchain the local governments from the state, beginning with the conducting of new local government elections, as soon as he was sworn-in in May.
“We shall not ban okada!”
When the multi-lingual Safurat took up the microphone, she would dig into the psyche of the crowd with singing, in Hausa, Egun, Yoruba, Pidgin and English.
Arewa!
Mutum daya!
LAGOS ISLAND GRAND FINALE
By the time the train rocked Lagos Island, Glover Hall, the home of entertainment, PDP had a galaxy of stars on display. Chief Olabode George (former Deputy National Chairman of PDP), Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (former Minister of State for Defence), Captain Tunji Shelle (PDP Chairman for Lagos), General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (former Minister for Communications).
The oratory of George did not disappoint: “This is the last town hall meeting in Lagos. As I look left and right, the house is complete. Just pray for us. It is not easy to crack a nut. There is only one man for the moment. And the Fulani, the Hausa, respect him. Jimi Agbaje is our distinguished candidate, who can take us to Alausa. This is a true son of the soil. He is our son, let him do the job (omo wa ni, e je o se!)!
“They made a 35-year old lady market leader. My mothers in the market, e ku iroju o (I salute your endurance). Bola Tinubu should pack his baggage and get ready to vacate Alausa.”
Shelle took up the refrain: “Ambode we hear is from Ondo State, the people of Epe have rejected him. The people of Agege have rejected him. The people of Shomolu have rejected him. Do you accept him?”
The crowd roared: “Nooooo!”
But the focus was Agbaje. On this night, he was presented with the staff (oniko) and regalia of the Eyo masquerade. It was a symbol of victory, presented on behalf of PDP Lagos by Olanrewaju and Obanikoro.
Agbaje said he would cherish the regalia forever. According to him, he first dressed up in an Eyo gear as a young boy. Filing out with other masquerades on that day, he heard the scare chant of the group, “Esuaaaa!”
The new initiate nearly jumped fled with fright; but just as quickly, he remembered that he too now belonged to the group.
In 2015, Jimi, now 57 years old, is facing the demons of Lagos politics, and, this time, there is no retreat, no surrender.
FELIX OBOAGWINA IS DIRECTOR OF MEDIA AND PUBLICITY FOR MR. JIMI AGBAJE, GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN LAGOS STATE
